Chapter 211
Chapter 211
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 211
Chapter Title: Mistress of Agony
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*So this is what he meant by ‘play along when the time comes.’*
He wants me to suddenly act like an interrogation expert?
Sienna was so startled she couldn't help but let out a series of hiccups.
But soon, with the sharp senses she had honed over long years on the battlefield, she quickly reframed the situation as just another moment in combat.
Though the explanation was a bit of an exaggeration, it wasn't wrong.
Every member of the Faith Division was required to master the arts of interrogation and torture. Any Runner worth their salt possessed such skills.
And if one were to rank them by proficiency, Sienna was among the very best.
Loan had always expressed his admiration for Sienna's cold judgment and merciless techniques, so his introduction now had to be taken as mostly sincere.
*Still, the ‘Mistress of Agony’ is a bit…*
She calmly held her breath, pressing down on her diaphragm to return her breathing to normal.
Then, she stepped forward to stand beside Loan.
Her expression was the same as always.
So cold it made one hesitant to speak to her. And for that reason, all the more trustworthy in this moment.
She slowly parted her lips.
"Now that things have come to this, it would be best to uncover the full story as quickly and accurately as possible."
On the stage Loan had set, Sienna decided to faithfully play the role he had prepared for her.
"Loan, I will begin the interrogation with the prisoners from the Beauvoir Merchant Guild. Sheville."
Following her concise command, Sienna raised her hands slightly and gave a small nod.
Instantly, the twelve sword fragments at Loan's hip shot into the sky.
Sheville drew a large circle above the square, making its presence known, before slowly narrowing its arc and descending.
Six pieces settled around each of Sienna's hands, rotating slowly.
The process, orchestrated purely by Loan's Convection, looked as though a master of torture was setting up their equipment, apprentice in tow.
Beautiful, yet somehow chilling.
Those who watched couldn't utter a sound.
They could only force themselves to swallow dryly.
In the silence, Loan extended his Convection wide, reaching for the ten prisoners from the merchant guild.
The moment they felt something touch their skin, the prisoners flinched violently.
That was how on edge they were.
With their eyes and mouths sealed by earth, they could only hear, which made it all the worse.
*What is happening? Why is it so quiet when it was so noisy just a moment ago? No, where am I in the first place, and why am I here?*
*What kind of person is the Union's most skilled torturer?*
*From her voice alone, she sounds cold enough to be utterly merciless.*
*What is someone like that about to do?*
*Am I going to die here?*
Their imaginations subjected them to the ultimate terror, and they began to resist the unseen force that was pulling and pushing them, twisting their bodies left and right and kicking their feet frantically.
They puffed out their cheeks, struggling to open their parched lips.
But their movements were restricted, as if their entire bodies were being gripped by an invisible hand.
Instead, they contorted into strange shapes, inspiring both curiosity and fear in those watching.
"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!"
Their resistance was futile.
Kicking their half-lifted feet wildly, they were dragged from the front of the Union's barracks and lined up horizontally in the center of the square.
In unison, they were forced to their knees, their heads pulled back, their unseen eyes compelled to stare forward.
They shook their heads violently, letting out muffled sounds, but it was not enough to convey any meaning.
The onlookers grimaced as one, as if feeling the terror and pain the prisoners must be experiencing.
Even the preparations, before anything had actually been done, felt horrifying.
A sense of pity even arose, wondering if it was necessary to go this far, even if they had committed heinous crimes.
Just then, Administrator Berthelot frowned and asked Sienna.
"Are you really... going to conduct the interrogation here and now?"
"It won't take long. Once I drive the sword fragments into the parts of the body where a human feels the most pain and force them to move, their mouths will open on their own."
Sienna answered calmly, then glanced at Loan and gave a slight nod.
Loan flicked his wrist lightly, clearing the hardened earth from one prisoner's face.
The world was suddenly bright. Faced with the vast square and the gazes of countless people, he was…
"Uh... uh..."
He looked bewildered for a moment, then saw the sword fragments circling near him and began to scream.
"Aaaah! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Please! Please! I only did what I was told. Ma'am! Ma'am! Please!"
The man begged desperately, his face a mess of tears, snot, and saliva.
The other prisoners began to struggle even more violently.
Their comrade's reaction was anything but ordinary.
Yet, Sienna's expression remained unchanged.
She silently reached for one of the pieces of Sheville circling her hand.
Loan responded to her movement with precision.
In the next moment, a piece of Sheville was held between Sienna's fingers. As she stepped before the prisoner and looked down at his face…
An even deeper terror clouded the prisoner's features.
To him, Sienna looked like the grim reaper herself.
Deciding he couldn't change her mind, the prisoner began to scream toward the Le Dong barracks.
"Commmmaaaandeeeer! Are you just going to watch me die? Are you really going to stand there? Lord Le Dong! What are you dooooing!"
"Commander?"
Administrator Berthelot immediately craned his neck toward the Le Dong group, repeating the question.
"Is the commander of the Beauvoir Merchant Guild there right now?"
While the prisoner's cry couldn't yet be considered a confession, if the guild's commander was among the Le Dong personnel, it was worth hearing what they had to say.
As Administrator Berthelot tried to find the unfamiliar face of the guild commander among the Le Dong members, the head of House Le Dong, his face pale, shouted with veins bulging on his forehead.
"What is the meaning of this! Do you think I came here to witness such a grotesque spectacle? This is nothing short of blackmail. Is Versa just going to stand by and let this happen? I've told you repeatedly, yet you still suspect me..."
But his roar was cut short.
His eyes suddenly widened, his mouth opened with his head thrown back, and he let out a guttural sound—*gurgle*—before his heavy body trembled and crashed forward with a thud.
Behind him stood…
A remarkably small woman, previously hidden by the Le Dong lord's body, holding a dagger the size of her own forearm.
The blood that dripped down the blade clearly marked her as the culprit.
She flicked the blood off her blade and grumbled.
"What a clueless idiot, and so damn talkative too."
"What have you done!"
Administrator Berthelot shouted sharply, his hand going to his waist.
But he and Melville seemed to be the only ones surprised by the unexpected event.
Even the people of Le Dong, who had just lost their lord, were calm.
Instead, they began to point their swords not at their lord's killer, but one by one toward Loan and Sienna in the center of the square.
Only then did Administrator Berthelot sense that something was wrong and looked around.
He finally noticed that the bloodshot eyes of the Versa soldiers were all fixed on him.
He could only stare at the sword tips pointed at him in unison, unable to speak another word.
With that, it was confirmed that the members of Le Dong and Versa had long since colluded with the Grave side, and only Administrator Berthelot had been kept in the dark.
The woman, who appeared to be the commander of the Beauvoir Merchant Guild, kicked the heavy body on the ground and spoke.
"Stupid fool. How can you be so clueless? Things have already gone south, yet you were getting flustered and dragged along by just those two."
It seemed her anger hadn't subsided, even after killing him with her own hands.
She finally stepped over the Le Dong lord's body, taking a step forward and pointing her dagger at Loan and Sienna.
"You seem to have some talent, but for all that, aren't your preparations a little lacking? What do you plan to do with just two people? And that stupid son of Albre, it's like he knew where he was going to die, showing up with so few people."
Her intent was now more blatant. A clear declaration of hostility toward the Union.
She glanced quickly behind her before speaking.
"Since it's come to this, we'll just have to speed up the takeover of Versa. Don't waste any more time."
As soon as the command-like words fell…
*Shnk- Shhhk-*
Figures armed with crossbows and arrows appeared on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings.
They were numerous, swarming the edges, and all possessed considerable mana.
Every arrowhead was aimed at Loan and Sienna.
It was an attitude that showed they didn't care about their comrades kneeling beside them.
However.
Loan remained completely calm as he watched the countless streams of killing intent and malice directed at the square.
Logically, he was completely surrounded, but he had been observing them since the moment he entered the square and had already prepared himself, even sending a signal to Sienna.
Sienna, too, was calmly circulating her mana as she surveyed her surroundings.
As if finding their composure unbearable, the guild commander casually raised her arm and said.
"Kill them all."
At her signal, a rain of arrows poured down.
It felt as if the sun that had been shining on the square vanished, instantly replaced by dark clouds gathering from all directions.
Loan watched the falling arrows, and then…
*Wha-whirrrrr…*
He expanded his Domain and instantly manifested the [Sphere of the Void].
A massive, formless sphere swirled into existence, enveloping him, Sienna, and the prisoners in the square.
Though it was invisible, Sienna, who had been circulating the mana in the atmosphere, could feel the powerful current wrapping around them.
The arrows, just about to strike Loan and Sienna, were blocked by the sphere's flow and began to abruptly change direction.
Soon, hundreds of arrows were drawn by an unseen force, beginning to circle in one direction.
The newly reappeared sun reflected off the countless arrowheads, scattering shimmering light in every direction.
It looked like a school of sardines, swimming in perfect, synchronized formation.
"Wh-what!"
As the guild commander let out a choked gasp at witnessing the magical sight…
Loan, having confirmed the stability of the arrow flow, immediately altered his intent.
The Second Form of the Infinite Void: [Arc of the Void].
The moment the sphere transformed into a fan-like shape, Loan spun on the spot.
Instantly, the arrows were launched in all directions, and the dark cloud they had formed swept rapidly around the square in a clockwise motion.
"Keuk!"
The moment the archers, who had forgotten to nock their next arrows while mesmerized by the mystical phenomenon, were struck down by the returning volley…
Sienna shot out through the arrow-less gap created as the sphere changed into an arc.
*Fwoooosh-*
The sound of breaking air accompanied her charge toward the Le Dong barracks.
The guild commander froze at the unexpected turn of events.
Sienna's twin swords precisely bisected her target's neck and waist.
Blood erupted and sprayed over the people near the barracks in an instant.
But somehow, as if shielded by an invisible barrier, not a single drop touched Sienna.
Ignoring the gazes of those frozen in shock, she turned her head to look at Administrator Berthelot.
"I believe we've received a sufficient confession. From now on, this is Union business."
With those words, the two divided forces erupted into a chaotic battle.